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[RC] Vet proposal comment on resting pulse - Jonni Jewell

The vet checks are there for the horse; it's their best protection.

Could you imagine what our rides would be like if we did not have them?
And, since we have them, and we're still losing horses in the sport,
wouldn't it be a good idea to lower the numbers (heart rate and pulse
recovery time) that will prevent some of these deaths?  <snip> It will,
however, stop a rider who is willing to continue on even though the horse is
telling them they should not.<<<

But Howard, there are already riders who don't listen to the signs the horse
is giving them, and admit they saw the signs, and are having horses die
under their care. Some of these horses would still pass a lower criteria,
but have something that is amiss with them that day. There are  horses that
might be passing the vet, but the rider thinks the horse "is not quite
right", yet continue to RACE.  The vet only gets to see that horse for a few
min. off and on during a ride. The rider is the one who is there with the
horse the whole time. The rider is responsible for that horse during the
day. The rider needs to know when enough is enough, and call it a day. The
rider knows if the horse is eating, drinking, how much electrolytes it had,
if it has been traveling with its normal enthusiasm, or just not right. The
riders knows how far the horse trailered to get to the ride, if the weather
is different, if it has stable mates who it is looking for. The vet sees the
metabolics of the horse, but they do not see the mind of the horse on the
trail. Many vets have seen nothing metabolically wrong with a horse, yet the
rider DID feel the horse was not normal that day, and have stopped....only
to have the horse start to colic or get sick. They knew the horse was not
right, even though the vet said they were fine and could go on. Thank
goodness there are some riders who put their gut feelings, and their horse
above what a vet might say, and know when to call it a day...but for some,
they can not seem to see past that finish line ahead, and some stupid
T-Shirt.
Jonni in TX



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